ADDITIONAL LINKS
What excites you most about joining University of California, Irvine School of Law?
Having worked for a top tier school for 20 years, I am very excited at the once in a lifetime opportunity to help Dean Chemerinsky and his stellar faculty create the dream law school. The University of California, Irvine has so many strong programs and such a supportive local community that the opportunity became irresistible.
A coincidental inspiration came in 2002 while working on an oral/video history of the founding class of UCLA School of Law. Virtually all surviving members of the Class of 1952 described the honor and pleasure they felt as founders of a school destined to rise quickly to the top tier. I have thought often of their stories—and now find myself equally honored and delighted to play a part in the founding of the next great public law school.
Describe the current level of support for the school from the Orange County legal and business community.
Local law firms and corporations have been tremendously supportive, first in persuading the Regents and California legislators to approve a new public law school at UC Irvine, then in providing expertise and financial resources to the university to bring us to opening day. Given the expense of creating a 21st century law school, private gifts, already received in excess of $30 million, make all the difference between a decent and a top-tier institution. The value of these local contributions of time and resources cannot be overstated—our earliest supporters are the true founders of our school.
- University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., philosophy, 1980
- University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, 1989-2007
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- Director of development, 2002-2007
- Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library, chief administrative and financial officer/director of special events and electronic presentations, 1998-2001
- Law building addition project manager/law library administrative officer, 1990-1998
- Law library administrative officer, 1989-1990
- During nearly 19 years of service at UCLA School of Law, Cannon worked with four deans to build fundamental advancement functions: alumni relations, communications, special events, annual giving and large gift cultivation. He began at UCLA as project manager for the 120,000-square-foot expansion of the law complex, which ultimately provided one of the nation’s largest and most beautiful academic law libraries, technology-based classrooms and faculty offices. At conception, this project was the first public-private funded building on a University of California campus.
- Cannon was involved in an advisory capacity in the early 1990s proposals to establish a law school at the Irvine campus and remained interested throughout the years in the promise of a second public law school for Southern California. The opportunity to contribute to the establishment and growth of the new school is a dreamed of culmination of his administrative experience.
- Founded UCLA Law Firm Challenge, a model corporate donor program involving 72 law firms nationwide.
- ABA Law School Development Section
- AALS Annual Meeting presenter
- CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education)